It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.
Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.
This week's topic is: Titles or Covers That Made Me Want to Read/Buy the Book
I don't really buy books because I like the cover or the title but they make me aware of them and then I check whether it would be a good read for me. So, here are a few books that I didn't buy because it was a book club read, winning a prize, someone told me it was a great book, I love the author or whatever but because something drew me to the title or the cover. Often, not always, this was the first book by that author but it always was the first book I bought by them. I loved them all. And quite often, as you can see by the links, this was the beginning of a great "friendship" between me and the author.
Croker, Charlie "Løst in Tränšlatioπ. Misadventures in English Abroad" - 2006
Falcones, Ildefonso "Cathedral of the Sea" (Spanish: La catedral del mar) - 2008
Grenville, Kate "The Secret River" - 2005
Hislop, Victoria "The Island" - 2005
Lee, Min Jin "Pachinko" - 2017
Pamuk, Orhan "My Name is Red" (Turkish: Benim Adim Kirmizi) - 1998
Roberts, Gregory David "Shantaram" - 2003
Ruiz Zafón, Carlos "The Shadow of the Wind" (Spanish: La Sombra del Viento) - 2001
Seth, Vikram "A Suitable Boy" - 1993
Smiley, Jane "The All-true Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton" - 1998
Turner, Nancy E. "These is my Words, The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901" - 1999
These Is My Words is a book I read because of the title, too. I recently reread it, and it was just as good as I remembered.
ReplyDeleteI would love to re-read it one day, just too many new ones on my plate at the moment. It is a fantastic book. Did you also read the two sequels?
DeleteSame. I'm more choosy about the books I buy, so I have to like more about it than just the cover or title. At the library, though, I'm much more apt to grab a book because of its art or title. Sometimes it leads to a great read, sometimes not!
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
I remember my old library, Susan, I found a lot of great books that way. Some not so much but then I just returned it, no harm done. Our library here has very little choice for me. Well, makes me go to my TBR pile more.
DeleteGreat pics! I never read a book just because of the cover, but I will pick it up to see read more about it when I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I do, Lark. So, a good cover does make a difference. Thanks.
DeleteGreat post! Here is my post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2021/08/top-ten-tuesday-hyped-books-and-series.html.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paige. I'm looking forward to your list.
DeleteThe cover art for all of the editions of Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko" are quite lovely.
ReplyDeleteHere's my list this week.
That's exactly why I was drawn to it, Lectrice. And the title, as well, I had never heard of Pachinko. Thanks for your list.
DeleteI love the covers for Shantaram and The Island, they definitely draw the eye.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Lindsey. And I loved both books. I think you would love "The Island", as well. Victoria Hislop has just written a sequel which I'm reading at the moment.
DeleteI have The Shadow In The Wind on my TBR, but I've still not got around to it yet.
ReplyDeleteMy TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/08/03/top-ten-tuesday-327/
Oh, Jo, you'll have to tackle it soon. It is such a wonderful book that will make you want to read all of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's other books, as I have. Thanks for the link.
DeleteWhat a great list of books.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get the chance, I hope you come over and check out my post: http://readbakecreate.com/15-book-covers-that-scream-summer/
Thanks, Pam. I'm glad you like my list. And, of course, I will come and look at yours. Looking forward to it.
DeleteI love it when a cover makes me try a new author!
ReplyDeleteAnd I have found many new authors that way, Greg. So, "never judge a book by its cover" shouldn't be followed religiously.
DeleteGreat choices. I am intrigued by a couple of these that I am not familiar with, one is These is My Words.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved "These is My Words" and I'm sure you would love it, as well, Carla. I have read it with two different book clubs and there wasn't a single member who didn't like it. I'm sure there are some more that you would like, just check out my reviews.
DeleteThe story is the most important for me. However, a cover is a first impression and is maybe the reason why you look at a book.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, Lisbeth, if you don't like the book, the cover might be really beautiful, it won't make a slight difference. But something has to draw us to the book in the first place. So, I loved making this list.
DeleteIt's been fun to see how different everyone's list has been. I haven't seen these covers yet. I'm glad they inspired you to read them.
ReplyDeleteThat is always the most fun of this challenge, Deanna. Even if I read different books than the other blogger, there is always something interesting and something to learn from them.
DeleteNice covers. I recently read a book that's so gorgeous, inside and out: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49358272-the-lost-spells. I did go for it at the library first based on the cover
ReplyDeleteThe cover does look very nice. I doubt I would have picked it up, though, it doesn't look like a book for me. But since you recommended it, I will definitely have a look. Thanks, Emma.
DeleteI see lots of people say they don't buy books. That's always been my means of reading, so I grew up with that and as a result, I definitely did become something of a "cover snob." :D Thanks so much for visiting Finding Wonderland last week, Marianne.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind visiting the library more often, Rissi, but ours here doesn't stock any English books and not many old ones due to their limited space, so I don't find many of those I get to know about from my international friends.
DeleteAnd I always enjoy visiting other blogs, we can learn so much from each other. So, thanks for writing yours.
That cover of My Name is Red is incredible! I have never seen it before even though I read both the library copy and now own the book. I wish I got that one instead! The one that disappointed me was Cathedral of the Sea. The cover is gorgeous but the story is tepid.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diana. It's incredible how many covers they can develop. When I was in my international book club, we often had a different edition each, sometimes even different ones that were published in the same country. It was amazing.
DeleteSorry you didn't like the "Cathedral of the Sea", I loved it. But we can't all like exactly the same books. Have you read anything by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? Falcones' books remind me of him.
Well, I did like the beginning of Cathedral of the Sea, the cathedral-building aspect and Arnau's devotion to the task, but that's about it. I do wonder how it is read in Spanish, perhaps I could try one day! I do know about Carlos Ruiz Zafón's masterpiece The Shadow of the Wind, but I am still to read it.
DeleteThen you will probably like The Shadow of the Wind, as well. It is a great book for readers.
DeleteI have not read this in Spanish but usually read the German translation, that might also be a reason I liked it better. Who knows.
Hislop's covers are really nice. Unfortunately, I haven't been terribly impressed with her novels, and I've gone off her.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that, Davida. But we can't all like the same authors.
Delete